Walking on Nettles
by sharp2799
Summary: Tag to The Other Side. Jack/Sam established. Jack is angry and so is Sam. What will this mean for their relationship?


Jack parked a few blocks from Sam's house and turned off the engine. He leaned his head back for a few minutes, eyes closed, wondering if he was doing the right thing. Technically speaking, it was his night to stay with her. But tonight….His jaw clenched. That _look_ in Sam's eyes as they stood on the ramp. What the fuck did she think? That he enjoyed indirectly killing the bigoted Hitler-in-waiting who had used him to kill others?

Okay. Maybe he did have some issues. But for her to look at him like that….

Jack got out of the truck and walked to her house, letting himself in with his key. He wasn't going to stay away and they _were_ going to talk. Or something. He saw the light under the bathroom door and opened it. He froze.

Sam lay in the tub, naked, glistening, a glass of wine by her side along with a half-empty bottle. Steam clouded the air, billowing outward in a swirling veil. She stared at him through the haze and remained silent.

Jack found his voice. "Hey." He gestured at the wine. "Starting early tonight?"

"So? I'm not driving anywhere." Sam picked up the glass and took a sip before replacing it carefully on the nearby stool. "Jack, I don't think tonight's good."

"Why not?" He leaned in the doorway, arms folded.

She shrugged, not meeting his eyes. "I'm kinda pissed."

"Yeah? Me too." He entered the bathroom and closed the door, looking at her without expression.

Sam sat upright, shivering a little in the draft he had brought in. "You? What have you got to be pissed about?"

"Well, let's see." Jack sat on the toilet cover and began undoing the laces of his boots. "Danny—diplomat that he is, contradicted me in front of potential allies, making me look weak. He could have said 'Hey Jack, before we settle anything, let's talk privately.' In fact, I even asked him to. But did he listen? No. Aside from any friendship, he still has no concept of the term 'chain of command.'" He picked up his boots and tossed them into the corner with barely subdued violence. "And then there's you."

"Me?" Sam gripped the sides of the tub, eyes darkening with anger.

"Yeah, you. What the fuck was that look you gave me on the ramp?" He glared at her.

Sam leaned forward, glaring back. "Oh, don't play stupid, Jack, this is me here. You knew damn well you were taunting Alar to follow. He had no choice but _to_ follow and then you slammed the iris closed and killed him." She gulped down the rest of her wine. "You know, this is really a bad night."

"Tough." He unbuttoned his shirt while she stared.

"I think we should take a rain check."

"Nope." Jack gave her a feral smile. "We agreed, Sam. In fact, you insisted, remember? That when we pissed each other off we wouldn't back away."

She crossed her arms over her breasts. "I need some space, Jack."

"Sorry. No can do." The shirt dropped and he began unbuckling his belt.

"I want you to go." Her voice trembled slightly.

"Read my lips, Sam. No." Jack stripped off the rest of his clothes and poured more wine into the glass. "You want?" He waited a bare moment before downing it himself.

"Dammit, you can at least respect my right to privacy! We're not at work,_sir_." She didn't expect the rueful smile he cast her way.

"Yep, thought you'd play that card. Glad it was sooner rather than later, now we can move on."

"_Move on_?_"_

The venom in her voice surprised him. He thought back and nodded at the blaze in her eyes. "It wasn't your fault when those three tried to come through the iris. You know that. I know that. What else could I have said, Sam?"

"Nothing." She kept her arms folded across her breasts, staring down.

"Right. So. As I said, moving on…." Jack stepped into the tub, crowding her and ignoring her huff of annoyance. He expected her to get out of the tub, and when she moved to do so, pinned her down.

"What are you doing?" Outrage tinged her voice.

"Ah, ah, ah, we haven't even started here." Deftly, he switched their positions so his back lay against the porcelain and she lay pressed against his chest. One arm wrapped around her breasts while the other anchored her hips.

"Jack, stop." Sam wiggled but he kept her close. She closed her eyes. "Please."

"Tell me why you're pissed."

"You know why."

"Sam." The reproving tone made her stop struggling and she lay limp against him.

"Fine. I'm pissed because you did what you did."

"You didn't trust me, Sam." He ran his palms lightly over her nipples, pleased with the way they tightened into nubs.

"What?" She tensed and then arched as he pinched her nipples. "Jack, stop, this isn't—"

"Isn't what?" His voice hardened. "You looked at me like I was some kind of monster. But you accept me in your bed. In your body. Because there's no doubt that you want me." His hand slid down and gripped her thigh, pulling her leg open so he could knead the muscles there.

"I asked you to leave." Her voice was a little breathless.

"Bullshit. You can kick anybody's ass if you choose. You let me get into this tub and you're letting me touch you—here—" His finger ran lightly along the seam of her opening, barely visible under the water.

She moaned, then gasped as he nipped at her neck.

"We're going to deal with this, Sam."

"How? How do we deal?"

Jack ran his tongue along the shell of her ear, then swirled inside, feeling her tremble. "We're only getting started here. And I'm not letting us get off track. Why did you look at me like that? Why are you so pissed at me now? What could I have done, huh? Let that bastard come into our world to be taken into consideration by the military and politicians? We're fucked up enough."

"You don't think I know that? He hid that he was a monster. He manipulated you into killing! He might have convinced our superiors into turning against Teal'c and the Jaffa. Or started a war among ourselves." Her voice lowered to a whisper. "I know what he was. I know what you did. I _hate_ what you did. And I…agreed."

Jack held himself still. "What?"

Sam bowed her head. "Jack, I'm pissed at you and I'm pissed at myself. I know you didn't have a choice except to do what you did. But I don't have to like it. And it makes me feel…conflicted. How can I condone murder? What gives me the right? He wasn't tried in a court of law. You were judge, jury, and executioner. I agree and I_hate_ myself for agreeing."

He felt it then, the subtle shaking in her body as she tried to hide her tears. And the anger and hurt he was hiding in a matter-of-fact, nonchalant manner began to dissolve. He understood this conflict. He was just better at burying it.

"Sam—"

"Please go."

"Like hell." He felt himself getting angry again. "If I go, what happens to us? No, we deal here and now."

"I can't look at you. It's like looking at myself, what I've become." She bowed her head and he had to strain to hear her. "You get angry at Daniel for not respecting the chain of command and doing things in the right order. But you did the same thing."

He winced.

There was silence.

"Sam." His voice was quiet. "I promise you. If there is a next time where we get sucked into something like this, I'll remember the chain of command. And…I'll talk to Danny."

More silence.

His hands massaged her shoulders, feeling the hard knots of tension and set to work at undoing them. When he finally felt her muscles give way, Jack whispered, "I hated the situation too, Sam. Hated it. Don't hate me now. I couldn't bear it."

"Jack." That was all she said but it was enough.

His hands moved to her breasts, rolling her nipples with his fingers, making her shift restlessly. He caressed her body with feather-light strokes, working his way down to her stomach and massaging there in the gentle circles he knew made her breath hitch. She lay passive as he continued, soothing her into a drowsy state.

His mouth twitched upward as he felt her weight settle and relax. Time to wake her up.

His fingers moved between her thighs, spreading them slightly and rubbing the thin strip of fuzz she kept trimmed. Sam moaned deep in her throat but opened one eye. "Jack, I don't know if I'm in the mood."

"Still pissed?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"Good. Angry sex followed by makeup sex. It's a win-win situation." His voice sobered. "I'm not letting you go, Sam. I can't."

A deep sigh reverberated between both their bodies.

"Then don't." Sam ran her hands down his sinewy arms and spread her legs, arching slightly as he touched her. "More."

"In a minute." He leaned over to the caddy on the side of the tub and opened one of the bottles. He squeezed a few drops of oil onto his fingers and brought his fingers back under the water.

Sam arched as he finger fucked her and he felt a flicker of satisfaction run through his body, stiffening his cock. Then her hand covered his, signaling him to stop. He lost the rhythm for a moment but then continued, ignoring the pressure of her hand.

"Jack."

He shook his head, not ceasing his movements. "Next time, Sam."

"Why?" She moaned, feeling her muscles contract sporadically.

Jack whispered into her ear, "You hated me, were prepared to drop everything we have because you were afraid to deal with yourself. No. This is us, Sam, and we follow it through to the end."

He felt the trembling of her body and pinned her down with his other arm as she thrashed from side to side, the tension rising as he continued the steady movement in and out. And then Sam spasmed as he held his fingers deep inside, waiting, until she finally lay back against Jack with gasping, heaving breaths.

"Still mad?"

"Yes. Dammit, yes!"

"Good. Ready to fuck me now?"

She smiled. "Yes." Sam lifted herself off him and turned over, kneeling over him. She reached for the oil and slicked his cock slowly up and down until he groaned and put out a hand to stop her. "Keep it up and I won't be able to."

"Well that would be a shame, wouldn't it, sir?" she said as she slid onto him, taking him up to the hilt. They both groaned and she rocked, gently at first and then harder and faster as his hands gripped her hips and helped keep the rhythm. She kept one hand on his chest for balance and slid her other hand to circle her clit, panting as she fucked him, the buoyancy of the water pulling at her thighs.

Jack braced his feet and released her hips, looping one arm over the tub while using his other hand to press against the smooth tile of the wall. He gazed at Sam through half-closed eyes, feeling the pull and friction surrounding him, milking him, and tried to hang on. A few moments later, he felt it, the deep pulsating contraction that was_Sam_ that jumped his system into high gear as she gazed at him with a lazy smile and took him all the way off that cliff.

They sighed in unison, gazing into each other's eyes. Then they rose carefully to stand in the cooling water. Sam pulled the plug to let the water out and turned on the faucet, making sure it was the right temperature before switching to shower, twitching the curtain closed. There was never enough spray for both of them at the same time but they moved slowly, changing spaces so the hot water would cascade down both their bodies.

Jack pulled her into his arms and buried his face in her neck. He held her tight, feeling the muscles in his back clench and slowly relax as they revolved slowly under the spray, rinsing clean.


End file.
